Harry Potter Bedtime Tales
by WolfWing
Summary: Not a prequel to Where the Heart is, but this does take place in the same universe at an earlier point in time. Ever wonder just exactly what fairy tales Ginny was told about Harry Potter?
1. Chapter 1

Ginny Weasley yawned, though she tried to fight it. Yawning would only get her sent to bed, and she didn't want to go.

But her mom saw the yawn. "Come on Ginny, up to bed with you."

"Aw, I dun' wanna!" Ginny pouted. The wireless was playing some music and Ginny was playing with a doll that Bill and Charlie had given her a couple of days before, when they returned home from Hogwarts.

Ginny always remember Bill being the one who was away at Hogwarts, only home some of the time. But she idolized him. Besides being the mysterious older brother, he also spoiled her when he was home and kept the other boys from teasing her too much. Charlie was the one that was usually the big brother for her, but recently he had disappeared to that same Hogwarts place.

"It's bed time, Ginevra Molly Weasley!" Molly Weasley wasn't about to let Ginny get overtired.

Ginny frowned, crossed her arms, and stubbornly stayed seated on the floor.

Bill looked over from where he was talking with Charlie. "I'll take her up. What do you say, Ginny? Want me to tuck you in?"

Ginny smiled and nodded. "Yes, please." She liked the attention, but she also tended to listen to Bill.

Bill sauntered over and held out his hand for Ginny to take. "Let's get you all tucked in, then."

Ginny let Bill pull her up, but she also held her arms up indicating she wanted to be carried.

Picking her up, and giving her a gentle toss in the air as he caught her and carried her up, Bill earned his mother's disapproval. "Bill! What if you dropped her."

Bill only chuckled, and Ginny begged, "Again!"

Bringing Ginny into her room, Bill helped her put on her nightgown, a hand-me-down Quidditch shirt, before tucking her into bed. Kissing her on her head, he bade her goodnight.

"Bill?" Ginny called out as he straightened up from kissing her.

"Yes, Ginny?"

Ginny yawned again, the long day catching up on her. "Will you mar-wy me?" she sleepily asked.

Bill chuckled. "Why do you want to marry me?"

"So you stay." When Charlie had to leave for Hogwarts, Molly had tried to explain that everyone would get to go to Hogwarts when they were older. To Ginny, for whom her family was literally her entire world, that was a scary thought. She didn't want anyone else to go away. She didn't want to go away either. "An' 'cause you're the bestest wizz-urd."

"No I'm not. Dumbledore is much more smarter and far more powerful." Bill sat down on the edge of her bed.

"Who?"

"Albus Dumbledore," Bill said with a smile, "he's the Headmaster at school. He fought and defeated Grindlewald, an evil Dark Wizard. He even has a chocolate frog card."

"So I mar-wee Dummledoer?"

Bill laughed out loud. "No, no. He's old, older than dad even."

"Oh? So who den?" Ginny bit her lower lip as she waited for an answer.

"Well," Bill stroked his chin as he tried to think of someone, "I know of someone your age who is also my hero. Harry Potter."

"Who?"

"When he was only a baby, a year old, he defeated the meanest Dark Wizard known in a long, long time. He-Who-Still-Must-Not-Be-Named."

Ginny gasped. "Oh?"

"Yeah. I bet he is even better than me."

Ginny shook her head. "Nuh-huh. No he isn't."

"Sure he is," Bill nodded his head in confidence. "Think of all the adventures he must have."

"What kind?" Ginny liked bedtime stories. She hoped she would hear one now.

"Well, let's see ..." Bill gazed out of Ginny's bedroom window in thought. "Why, I bet he's even met the Backwards Wizard."

Ginny frowned cutely in confusion. "Back-wurdz Wizz-urd?"

"Yeah, the Backwards Wizard. You mean you never heard of him? Well let me tell you, he was so backwards, he thought he was suppose to keep Muggles a secret from wizards."

"Mukkles?"

Bill nodded. "Yeah, they can't do magic."

"Dey can't?!" Ginny's eyes shot wide open as she gaped at her brother.

Bill shook his head. "Nope."

"But ev'ry-wun does magic."

"Not everyone. You don't do magic, yet."

Ginny frowned. "Am I a muzzle?"

Bill chuckled as he rubbed her head affectionately. "Nope. You'll do magic when you get older. And you have done accidental magic already. Muggles, they can never do magic."

That was a difficult concept for Ginny's nearly three year old mind to grasp. She took magic, and doing it, for granted. "Why can't ev'ry-wun be da same?"

Bill smirked at her. "You want us all to be Ginny Weasley?"

Ginny smiled and nodded. "Dat be wicked."

"Then you wouldn't be so special," Bill told her with a laugh.

"Harumph!"

Bill shook his head in amusement. "So, do you want to hear about the Backwards Wizard?"

Ginny nodded. "Yes! Please."

"Well, he was as backwards as a wizard could get. When he tried to fly, he would sit on the broom backwards, with the bristles upfront. And in the air, he would let himself hang under the broom stick instead of sitting on top of it." Ginny giggled at Bill's story. "Of course, the broom would shake and buck, as you can't fly it bristles first. So he'd fall off and hit his head. And do you know what he would say?"

Ginny shook her head. "No."

"After he fell, he would say, 'That was my best flight, yet.' And he would always wear his hat inside out, and on his ear."

Ginny giggled. "How did he get it on his ear?"

"Ah," Bill thought for a moment, "he bought an extra small hat. It would fit on a house elf. And then he would stick it to his ear with spellotape. And when he was bored, he would sit on his wireless box and try to listen to his chair. He'd tap it with his wand, but the chair would never play music."

Ginny giggled some more.

"And speaking of his wand. He would hold it by the wrong end. So anytime he wanted to flick and swish, it came out as a pluck and slash. And the magic would spill onto him instead of where he was aiming. That's why he has green lumps and purple ear hair. And his nose hairs glow."

Ginny laughed. "What else did he do wrong?"

Bill sat and thought. "Plenty. Like the time he tried to brew a sadness potion, because he was feeling too happy. He was suppose to chop the wings of lace-flies, but instead crushed lacewing flies. And he used gopher snot instead of badger blood. And when he wrote, instead of using a big feather called a quill, he used a porcupine quill. And there was this one time, he bought a purple cow."

"Pur-pill cow?"

"It wasn't always purple. He made it purple."

Ginny thought this was funny. "Why?"

"He was trying to get it to milk itself and cast a spell. Problem is, he bought a boy cow, only girl cows give milk."

Ginny laughed. "Really?"

Bill held a hand up. "Wizard's honor. You get milk from girl cows. And because he also said the spell wrong, his cow turned purple. And he liked it that way. He thought blue cheese came from purple cows."

Ginny looked at Bill in confusion. "Blue-cheese?"

"It's cheese with streaks of blue in it."

Ginny yawned again and snuggled deeper into her covers. "What else happened?"

"He would sleep in the chicken coop."

"Why?"

"Well," Bill thought about it, "because the cow slept in his bed."

"What aboot the sheek-ins?" Ginny thought a cow sleeping inside was just plain silly.

"They slept in the cow's stall. The pig slept in the doghouse, and dog had to sleep with the goat. And the cow was always sick to the stomach because he kept feeding it Honeyduke's chocolate bars, so he could have chocolate milk and chocolate blue cheese."

Ginny smiled as her eyelids grew heavy.

Bill saw that she was ready to sleep, so he kissed her on her head one more time. "Night, little one. Sweet dreams. Maybe next time I'll tell you about Harry Potter. Who knows, maybe you'll even marry him.

"Night, Bill."


	2. Chapter 2

The past few nights, Molly had been tucking her daughter in to sleep. And when Ginny would ask for a story, Molly would tell her one of the wizard's classics. Stories like Babbity Rabbit or The Littlest Witch were the kinds that the Weasley matriarch knew. Ginny's father, Arthur, liked to tell his kids stories about King Arthur when he wasn't telling them one of the other age old classic tales.

Tonight, though, Mrs. Weasley was busy scolding the twins, who had somehow managed to stick their brother Percy to the toilet seat. Arthur Weasley was working late at his job. And so, Bill and Charlie volunteered to get the little ones off to bed. Bill was with Ron and Charlie was helping Ginny.

"There you go," Charlie said as he pulled the blanket up snug around Ginny. "Would you like to hear a story?"

Ginny nodded as she smiled brightly. "Yes, please."

"Any particular one?"

Ginny had tried to hear more about Harry, but her mom professed to knowing nothing about him, or of anyone called the Backwards Wizard. So she tried again. "Hawwy Pouter."

"Harry Potter?"

Ginny nodded. "Yeah. Bill said he'd tell me about his adven- addent-"

"Adventure? Well, what did Bill tell you?"

"Dat he met the Back-wurdz Wizz-urd."

Charlie was momentarily confused, but shrugged it off. "Right, well did you know Harry is a hero?"

Ginny nodded.

"You did, huh? Well, did you know he goes around on a dragon?"

Ginny shook her head. "Really?"

"Yeah," Charlie said with a nod. "Harry has a pet dragon. A ... Swedish Shortsnout. How cool is that? His very own dragon. I think I'd like one as a pet."

"He cud sleep in my room."

Charlie laughed. "Yeah. So Harry likes to ride his pet dragon. They go everywhere together. That's how he finds the adventures you see. No one who stays home all the time gets to go on adventures. Adventures just don't come knocking on your door. You have to go out there and find some."

"Where he go?"

"Oh, lots of places. All over England. Even Paris and Rome. And always on his dragon. Where would you like to go?"

Ginny answered quickly, "The pond."

"Just the pond? Why not the ocean? Beaches and swimming."

"Beaches?" Ginny hadn't heard that word yet, and her family hadn't gone on any big vacations. Both because it was still only recently that Voldemort's campaign of terror ended, and very few felt confident enough to travel needlessly, and because having that many children that young gave the parents pause in planning on any sort of trip involving distance or time away from home. Arthur and Molly didn't want to tempt fate, not with their fear that there were death eaters still on the loose and also the fear of what the twins could get up to given half a chance.

Charlie smiled down at his only sister. "Yeah, where the ocean meets the land, you can find sand. And you can swim and play in the water or make sandcastles. It's a lot of fun."

"More fun dan da pond?" Ginny asked, finding it hard to believe anything could be more fun than her family pond.

Charlie nodded solemnly. "More fun and much bigger too."

Ginny gasped, eyes growing large. "Hawwy goes to the Bee-shiz?"

"Beaches," Charlie gently corrected his sister. "And yes, all the time."

"And he swims?"

"Yes, yes," Charlie agreed while nodding his head. "He likes to swim in the ocean. He's so good he can swim with the dolphins and hold his breath for hours."

"Doll-fins? What are doll-fins? Are dey for dollies to swim? Can my dolly have a doll-fin?"

Charlie laughed, but not rudely so. His laughter was amusing without being offending. "Dolphins swim in the water, like mermaids. You remember Mum's stories of the Little Mermaid?" Ginny nodded to show she did. "They're like that, then."

"Did Hawwy meet any mermays?"

"Yes," Charlie said as he grasped onto a story idea. "And not only does he swim with mermaids, but he even saved one once."

"He did? Was it the Little Mermay?"

"Yes he did, but it was a different mermaid. She was stuck in a fishing net. That's something Muggles use to catch fish to eat. But, that day, the Muggles caught more than just fish. Luckily, Harry was out swimming that day, riding on a dolphin."

"But you said he wode his dragon."

"Yes, but in the water he'd ride a dolphin. And when he didn't want to fly somewhere he rode a nundu."

"Nundu?"

"It is a big cat, and it lives in the jungle. Very dangerous. It takes a hundred wizards just to catch one, but Harry caught and tamed one all by his self, and as a kid too. He goes everywhere with his pet nundu. Even when he rides on his dragon, he has a special basket tied to the dragon that the nundu can be carried in. Yeah, and when Harry is swimming, the nundu stays on the beach, watching the sea and making sure nothing bad happens to Harry as the dragon flies over head."

"What he called?"

"The nundu? Umm ... Brandy. Harry named his nundu, Brandy. And he named his dragon, Georgie."

"'N the doll-fin?" Ginny asked, wanting a lot of pets herself.

Charlie chuckled. "No name. The dolphin isn't a pet, just whichever dolphin is swimming near by at the time. Harry gets along with all dolphins ever since he saved their king from a shark. A big, nasty fish with lots and lots of sharp teeth. Roar." Charlie showed his teeth and made pretend pouncing motions to emphasize this, to Ginny's delight. "And the shark was going to eat the Dolphin King, but Harry saved the king and now he is friends with all dolphins. And so, he was swimming with one when he came upon the Muggles trying to pull the mermaid into their boat. But the mermaid was struggling and trying to get away. This made Harry angry. Mermaids were such beautiful and kind creatures that he didn't like to see them get hurt."

"Am I pretty?" Ginny interrupted Charlie's story. "Like a mermay?"

Charlie smiled kindly. "Yes you are. So Harry tapped the dolphin and pointed to the mermaid. The dolphin squeaked to the other dolphins that was swimming and playing with Harry. So, the dolphins all swam at the Muggles and jumped from the water to beat them up with their tails."

Ginny giggled at the story.

"And while the dolphins were beating up the Muggles, Harry was helping the mermaid get untangled from the net. And just in time too. As the muggles were running away, on a boat that is, and Harry got the mermaid loose, a shark arrived."

Ginny gasped, frightened for Harry. "A shark?"

Charlie nodded. "Yeah, ever since Harry saved the dolphins' king from the shark, the sharks don't like him. But Harry whistled to his dragon, who saw that Harry was in trouble. So the dragon swooped down and breathed fire at the shark and tried to grab it with its claws. The shark, scared off by the dragon, swam quickly away. And so the mermaid was safe, though a little frightened by the dragon. But Harry just waved at his dragon and it flew off. 'Don't be afraid. That's just Georgie, my dragon,' he told the mermaid. 'My hero,'" Charlie said this in a falsetto as he held his hands in front of his chest and pantomimed a rescued damsel, "and then she kissed Harry."

"Ewww," Ginny said in a giggle. Charlie was such a ham that she always enjoyed one of his stories.

Charlie tussled her hair. "Wait until you're older," he said with a smirk. "So, the mermaid swam away after giving her hero a kiss. And Harry, tired from it all, decided to swim back to shore where his nundu was. So he and the dolphins swam back. And when Harry was back, there was some Cornish Pixies waiting for him."

"Pixies!" Ginny squealed in delight. She liked small, cute things.

"Yeah. They heard how he saved the mermaid, so they wanted to invite him over for tea. You know, just like Mum does. Shortbread biscuits, scones, crumpets, tea cakes, and tea served with sugar, honey, or goat's cream. So Harry had a lovely tea time with some pixies, and a fun day swimming in the ocean."

"What next?" Ginny asked, caught up in the story.

"What's next?" Charlie answered in an exaggerated voice, "You go to bed. That's what's next."

"Aw, but I want another story." Ginny pouted.

Charlie chuckled. "Not tonight, short-stuff. I'm all storied out. Maybe next time if you're a good girl and go to sleep. Okay?"

Ginny nodded. "OK!"

Tussling her hair one last time, Charlie kissed her good night. "Sleep well and sweet dreams, Ginny."

"G'night Charlie." Ginny snuggled deeper under her covers and went to sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

"Daddy, tell me a story."

It was a Saturday night. Arthur had been working late a lot lately, so he was glad it was a weekend night. Besides being able to relax by puttering in his work-shed, he missed his kids and was eager to tuck them in. So while his wife was busy giving the twins a bath, Arthur was putting the two youngest to bed. Once he was done tucking Ginny in, he would put Ron to bed.

"Oh, what kind of story?"

Ginny gave thought, but only for a moment. "Hawwy Pouter?"

"Harry Potter? Merlin, but where did you hear his name from?" Arthur wasn't overly shocked, but he hadn't expected his youngest to know the name. After all, it is not like she followed the news.

"Bill and Charlie."

"Ah." Arthur gave a knowing nod. Sighing, he replied, "I suppose it was only a matter of time. All right, then, I'll tell you about Harry Potter. But, how about first I get you your little, baby-doll?" Arthur was afraid that even told carefully, the story would still scare his little girl. He knew the doll was a comfort to his daughter. So he tucked the doll into bed with Ginny, placing it into her arms where she could embrace it. "All right now. If it starts to get scary, just let me know. OK?"

"OK, daddy. I not scared." Ginny boasted proudly.

Arthur smiled and tweaked her nose. "Well, this all started about three years ago, not long after you were born. It was your first Halloween, and you were only two months old."

"I like How-o-ween. Mummy makes the best pies."

"Yes, it is quite the magical night, as they say. Did you know that Muggles like to dress up in masks and walk around for Halloween?" Arthur always got a kick from the strange Muggle tradition, and would always bring it up every Halloween.

"Yes, Daddy."

"Well, you're my smart little girl. That's why. So, one Halloween night, Harry Potter was home with his mummy and daddy. It was like any other Halloween night, except for a bad, bad man. He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. And He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named was very angry at Harry's mummy and daddy."

"Why?"

"Well ... He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named was a very bad wizard. He did bad, bad things. And Harry's daddy and mummy and many others tried to stop him. They were doing a good job at it, so He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Namedwas very angry with Harry's mummy and daddy. So that Halloween, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named went to Harry's house and fought with his parents. They fought hard, but He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named was very powerful. The bad, bad man took Harry's mummy and daddy away."

Ginny interrupted the story. "Where day go?"

"Someplace called Heaven, honey. And after He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named took away Harry's daddy and mummy, he tried to get rid of Harry too. But Harry is a very special child. Only a year old at that time, and He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named couldn't send him away. No one knows why. Harry stopped the bad, bad man and saved all of us from him. And that's the end, pumpkin."

"Did Hawwy go get his mummy and daddy?" Ginny asked.

Arthur sighed. Death was such a hard thing to explain to a little child. "No honey. Heaven is a very special place. Very nice there. But once someone goes there, they can't come back."

"Is Hawwy in Heaffin?"

Arthur shook his head and smiled. "No, he's still here, somewhere. I don't know where he went. People say he is with family, though. He just has no mummy or daddy."

Ginny frowned. "No mummy or daddy?"

Arthur shook his head sadly. "Nope."

"You can be his daddy, and mummy can be his mummy."

Arthur chuckled. "We'd like that, but it is not so easy. I am sure he is all right. Now, go to sleep. I'm going to go tuck Ron in. Don't worry about Harry, okay sweetheart?"

Ginny nodded. "Okay."

Arthur smiled lovingly at his daughter as he bent over to give her a kiss. "Sweet dreams, pumpkin."


	4. Chapter 4

Ginny sat at the window, watching her brothers play Quidditch. It was after dinner and the boys were taking advantage of the long summer days. Her brother Ron was busy sulking, upset that he wasn't allowed to play Quidditch. Percy and the twins were using trainer brooms as Charlie and Bill gave them pointers. Ginny giggled as Fred, or perhaps it was George, purposefully bumped into Percy. Ginny's father, Arthur, was refereeing and supervising the boys.

Ginny couldn't wait until she was big enough to play Quidditch.

Her mother came up behind her. "Ginny dear, time for bed."

"I don't wanna!" Ginny pouted and sulked.

"It's getting late dear, aren't you feeling tired?"

Ginny shook her head emphatically. "No, I'm not tired."

"Come on Ginny, it's starting to get late."

Ginny frowned. "But I want Bill to tell me a story." It had been over a week since her oldest brother had tucked her in for the night. Usually, it was her mom.

Molly sighed, but saw no trouble with that. Ginny was being quiet, and the boys would be in soon enough. "Okay. But when the boys are done you go straight to bed, young lady."

"Yes, Mummy."

Ginny was waiting patiently by the window for her brothers to come in at the end of their game. The boys of her family trooped in through the back door, talking and laughing gaily. Ginny shot up and quickly ran over to hug Bill by his knees.

"Woah, what's up Ginny-cakes?" Bill smiled down into the happy face of his sister.

"Tell me a story?" Ginny raised her arms, showing she wanted to be picked up.

Bill laughed as he tussled her hair. "OK, but give me a few moments to get cleaned up. OK?"

"OK," Ginny agreed with a happy nod.

Ginny snuggled happily under her blankets, cuddling one of her teddy bears. Bill was settling into a rocking chair, marveling at how fast Ginny was growing. He only saw her on breaks from school and during summer. He remembered when she was born; it was the month before his first year at Hogwarts started. When he returned for Christmas break, she had already grown a good deal, her hair had thicken on her head, and she didn't cry nearly as constantly. Then, when he returned after the spring term was done, She was bigger yet. Now here she was, not quite three yet. Bill was still your average teenage wizard, but he loved his little sister. She enchanted him, this tiny and vulnerable thing that cried when he had to leave for his second and third year. Not that she hadn't cried at the station when he left for his first year, but that was only because her nappy needed changing.

"So, squirt, what story did you want to hear?" He had a good guess of what, though. Off and on, Ginny had been asking about Harry Potter. Though, a couple times she did ask about the Backwards Wizard.

"A Princess story."

"Oh? What kind of princess?"

Ginny answered without hesitation. "A pretty Princess."

Bill smiled. "And does this pretty Princess have red hair?"

Ginny nodded her head. "Yes, and freckles."

"And was the pretty Princess with the red hair and the freckles friends with any animals?"

"Hmm-mm." Ginny nodded again. "A Nuh-boo."

Bill paused to puzzle that one out. "A Nundu?" He got a nod for his answer. "Sounds like something Charlie would want." Ginny nodded some more. "And was the pretty Princess and her nundu saved by a hero?"

Ginny nodded some more. "Yes!"

"Maybe Lancelot? Or Galahad?"

Ginny thought for a moment. "Maybe."

"Or," Bill pretended to rack his brains, "maybe it was Harry Potter?"

Ginny gave it thought, cutely tapping her finger against her pursed lips. "OK," she said with a nod after a moment.

Bill chuckled. "Okay, so a story about a pretty princess with a nundu that was saved by Harry Potter. We need a bad guy, huh?"

Ginny agreed with a nod. "He-Who-Mustard-Name."

Bill couldn't help but break out laughing. Wiping a tear from his eye, he broke out again into laughter. Ginny started laughing too, not because she knew why, but only because Bill's mirth was contagious.

"Okay," Bill said as he got himself under control, "The evil Mustard Name will be the bad guy. And he kidnapped the pretty Princess. You see, one day, the pretty Princess was out playing with her nundu."

"What did she wear?"

"Oh ... it was a pretty blue gown made from silk." Bill saw Ginny make a sour face. "Not blue?"

Ginny shook her head. "No, pink."

"Okay, so she wore a pretty pink dress made from silk."

"And a bow?" Ginny asked.

"Yes, and the dress had a big yellow bow."

"And she had red hair?"

"And she had red hair-"

"-And freckles," Ginny added.

Bill chuckled. "Who's telling the story? She had red hair and freckles and wore a pretty pink dress with a yellow bow. And she was outside playing with her nundu."

"Named Puffy," Ginny interrupted again.

"Right, named Puffy. And Puffy saw a butterfly and began to chase after it, trying to swat it out of the sky. Now, the Princess was told she shouldn't wander far from home, because bad wizards could hurt her. But she didn't pay attention as she chased after Puffy who chased after a butterfly." Bill paused to make sure Ginny was still following along. "And so, Puffy chased the butterfly into and through some woods, over a stream, and into a dark forest. The pretty Princess followed her pet nundu, and soon found herself lost in the dark forest with only Puffy. Looking around, frightened, she didn't know what to do. 'What was that strange noise?' she asked herself. Turning to hug Puffy, who always made her feel safe, she found her pet was missing. Puffy was still chasing after the butterfly and the pretty Princess had stopped when she noticed she was lost. Now lost and alone, the pretty Princess began to cry."

"Is that when Harwy found her?" Ginny asked, getting better at saying Harry's name.

Bill shook his head. "Nope, not yet. The forest was cold and dark, and the Pretty Princess was afraid and crying. 'What will I do now?' she asked herself. 'Maybe, I'm not that far from home.' So she went in the direction she thought she came from. But it wasn't the way back home."

Bill noticed that while Ginny was big eyed and biting her bottom lip, she didn't seem afraid. She seemed to be interested and paying attention, actually. She wasn't tensed, but relaxed. So, he knew it was safe to continue, that she would not be getting nightmares because of him.

"She walked and walked, but she only got more lost." Ginny hung on to his every word. Bill smiled at her innocence. "She did not know the way home and couldn't find her way back, so she only got more lost the more she walked. Until, finally, a wizard crashed into the ground nearby. He was trying to fly his broom backwards and upside down."

" Buck-wurdz Wizz-urd!" Ginny squealed in delight.

Bill laughed. "Yes, it was the Backwards Wizards. He was on his way to tea with Harry Potter, they are good friends, you know. But he got lost. Actually, he always gets lost. That is why Harry always starts to make the tea a week after the Backwards Wizard was suppose to arrive. It takes him that long just to get anyplace. And so, the Princess was staring fearfully at a cloak-covered lump that turned out to be a wizard. Dusting himself off as he got up, the Backwards Wizard saw the Princess standing nearby. 'Oh my, what do we have here?' he asked.

"The Princess answered him, 'I'm a Princess. What are you?'

"The Backwards Wizard shouted joyfully, 'My name is Nilrem, but everyone says I'm Backwards, so you can too.'

"'Oh, kind sir, I am a Princess who has lost her way. I am trying to find my way home or Puffy, my pet. Can you help me?'

"'Certainly. Right after I have a spot of tea. You have to do everything in the proper order and a spot of tea comes before saving Princesses. Why, it comes before everything but clipping nose hairs,' he replied. Then he hopped onto his broom and tried to fly off again, but he bounced off of many trees on his way out.

"'Come back,' the Princess cried. But it was no good."

Ginny pouted. "Meany!"

"Well, didn't you want Harry to save the Princess? If we let the Backwards Wizard do it, why, he might take the Princess to Iceland by mistake."

Ginny nodded. "Yeah, Hawwy, Hawwy!"

Bill chuckled. "Harry it is. Plus we can't save her yet, she needs to meet the evil Mustard Name. You see, after the Backwards Wizard ran off, the Pretty Princess was sad. She was sad because he ran off without helping her. So when she found a stump, she just sat on it and started to cry. And that was how the evil villain found her: sitting on a stump, crying her eyes out."

"Boo!" Ginny hissed.

"He found the Pretty Princess and asked her, 'Why are you crying, my dear?'

"She said, 'Oh, woe is me. Woe, woe, woe I say. For I have lost my way, and I have lost my pet.' Then she began to cry again.

"'Worry not, young one, for I, Mustard, shall help you find your way ... to my stew pot, mwa-ha-ha-ha.'

"'Oh no!' the princess cried out in shock. She tried to run off but the evil Mustard Name pointed his wand at her and she was tied up in ropes. Then, he made her float as he dragged her back to his stony cottage. Inside, he placed her in a cage and locked her up tight. A roar got her attention. Puffy was in another cage.

"'Ah, I see you noticed my new pet nundu. The cage he is in stops his venomous-'"

"Ven-i-mouse? Wha'z dat?" Ginny asked.

Bill paused his story to answer his sister. "Sorry, it means poison. The breath of a nundu is poison. Okay?"

Ginny nodded.

"Right, anyways the evil Mustard Name was gloating. 'That cage holds in even his poison breath. He-'"

"She," Ginny interrupted again, "Puffy is a girl nundu."

"Alright, she. 'She will make a fine roast,' Mustard Name cackled.

"'Oh no, please don't cook my Puffy,' the princess cried out. 'Please don't.'

"'Your Puffy? It's my nundu now, mwa-ha-ha-ha-ha.'

"'Oh no, what shall I ever do?' the Pretty Princess moaned. 'If I ever get away, I promise to never wander from home again.' That was when there was a huge crash, and the walls of the cottage shook, the pots hanging from the walls rattled, and Puffy roared in fright, for it was a most frightful crash. The door fell off of its hinges, and there, in a cloud of dust, stood Harry Potter."

"Yay!" Ginny cheered.

"The evil Mustard Name whirled around. 'Who are you to enter my home so brazenly?' he shouted at the figure in the doorway.

"'I am Harry Potter. Who are you to capture this young girl and lock her in a cage?' Harry answered.

"The evil villain got angry and stamped his foot. 'I am Name, Mustard Name,' he shouted. 'And I shall eat you up too, along with the girl and the nundu.'"

Ginny gasped, "Oh no!"

Bill patted her legs affectionately. "'Many have tried; many have failed,' Harry told the evil wizard as he drew forth his wand."

"Hawwy has a Wand?" Ginny asked.

Bill nodded. "Yes. It was given to him by a troop of unicorns. Made from the horn of an old unicorn whose daughter Harry had saved once. Crafted by Olivander himself, who cored it with mermaid tears given by a mermaid princess that Harry was friends with. A wand good for doing miracles with, Ollivander had told Harry."

"So cool!"

Bill smiled. "And so, Harry and Mustard Name fought. They dueled like the wizards of old."

"Hawwy is not old!"

Bill laughed. "I did not say they dueled like old wizards. They fought like wizards used to a long time ago. It was a dramatic fight, Mustard kept using all the tricks he knew to cheat-"

"Boooo!"

"But Harry outclassed him."

"Yay!"

"Knowing he was outmatched, the evil Mustard Name tried one last dirty trick. He yanked the Pretty Princess out from her cage and hid behind her with his wand to her throat. 'Take another step, Potter, and off with her head,' he threatened Harry."

"Boooo!"

"Harry just smirked. 'Looks like you got me,' he said.

"'You bet your kippers I got you, got you right where I want you,' Mustard Name boasted. But he hadn't seen Harry make a slight wand gesture when he was busy laughing. Suddenly, hands of fire reached out from the evil wizard's oven and pulled him in. The Princess was saved!"

"Yay!"

"And they lived happily ever after."

"Even Puffy?"

"Even Puffy. Now, time for bed, okay?"

"Okay, Bill."

Bill got up and turned the lights off. "Sweet dreams, little princess," Bill said as he closed the door.

Ginny, with her eyes closed and snuggled into bed sleepily answered him, "Love you, Bill."


	5. Chapter 5

It was July 31st and Ginny was sitting quietly in the living room playing with her dollies. It was the middle of the afternoon, so the boys were outside playing catch with the quaffle. They were on the ground, of course, as Molly didn't want Ron and the twins on brooms yet. The twins could ride trainer brooms when their father was supervising, though. So the boys practiced quaffle passing techniques while running on the ground. The wireless was playing, as Molly had turned it on earlier to listen to some Celestina Warbeck songs. However, Mrs. Weasley had since gone out to tend the garden and keep an eye on the boys playing. Her motivations were more of the latter and less of the former.

Ginny sat, having make believe tea with her dollies, when the program on the radio changed.

"Welcome Wizards and Witches to the Wizarding Wireless Network," The announcer called out from the wireless. "Nimbus Brooms is the proud sponsor of the Fiallo Cassidy Hour starring everybody's favorite gossip, Fiallo Cassidy." Canned applause played as the announcer's smoky voice faded.

"Thank you, thank you," a rich, feminine voice replaced that of the announcer's. "How is everyone today on this fine day? Good, I hope. Can you believe it? It is July 31st. Yes, it is. I am sure you all know what that means. It means today is the birthday of one of our greatest heroes, Harry Potter. Harry turns four today. No one has seen hide nor hair of the Boy-Who-Lived for nearly three years now; many even wonder if he is still alive. Well my friends, let me assure you that as soon as I hear that someone has sighted the Boy-Who-Lived, Harry Potter, you'll all be the first to know. Now I know this is normally a talk show, but I thought in honor of today's special day that I would play a song. This one is dedicated to Harry Potter, Boy-Who-Lived. It's Siegfried's Amazing Goats baaing the Happy Birthday song." Music accompanying goats braying began to play.

Ginny was paying rapt attention to the wireless since she heard Harry's name the first time. "Happy Bird-day, Hawwy," she quietly wished. She went back to playing with her dolls, but she didn't forget what she learned.

Later that night, as she was gotten ready for bed, she told her brother, "Today is Hawwy's bird-day."

"Oh, is it?" Bill inquired as he tucked Ginny into bed.

"Hmm-mm," Ginny hummed in affirmation as she nodded her head. "I heard it on da wry-lass."

"Well, what do you know. It's Harry's birthday."

"Bill, what do you think Hawwy did today?"

Bill sat himself down in the nearby rocking chair. "I'm sure he had a big party full of everyone who loves him."

Ginny nodded. That's what birthdays at the burrow was like, big and full of people who loved you. "Did he get lots'sa prezzents?"

"I bet he got lots and lots of presents. From everyone. I bet the minister, the queen, why even Dumbledore himself probably sent him all kinds of great gifts."

"Like what?" Ginny was beaming now, thinking of all the presents someone could get.

"Hmm. I bet he got a broom of his very own from Puddlemere United. And, of course, he'd get dragon hide gloves, maybe a nice black cloak for winter, toys, frizzing whizzbees, Honeydukes chocolate, sugar quills, and chocolate frogs. Why, I bet he has the whole collection of chocolate frog cards."

"Yumm," Ginny replied, visions of sweets dancing before her eyes.

Bill got up, "Well, good night Ginny-Cakes. It's almost time for your own birthday."

"Will it be big?"

"It'll be very big," Bill answered her as he tussled her hair.

Ginny nodded, happy. Snuggling under her blanket she asked another question. "Did Hawwy get to do anyt'ing for his bird-day?"

Bill knew she wanted a story. "I'm sure he got to do lots," he said as he sat back down in the rocking chair.

"Like what?"

"Why ..." Bill stalled for time, trying to think of something. "I believe the first thing he did was go to Diagon Alley." Ginny smiled at this. It wasn't often her mother would drag the whole family to the alley, so it was always a big occasion for Ginny. "And the first stop would always be Gringott's. After all, you can't go shopping if you first don't get some of your galleons out from Gringotts."

Ginny nodded. "Hawwy has a vut?"

"Yeah, I am sure Harry has a vault. And if not, then the people he's with must have one. So the first place they go is to the vault. And boy, is it ever filled. Harry has heaping mounds of knuts, sickles, and galleons. There's towering piles of rubies, emeralds, and sapphires. So Harry gets to fill a bag up with lots of coins to use to shop on his birthday. And the goblins are extra nice to him. And they invite him to some tea for his birthday. But it is too early for tea, so Harry promises to come back later when he's done shopping. Then he goes to his first store. What do you think it is?"

Ginny tapped her lips with her index finger as she thought of an answer. "Is it ... a candy store?"

"Yeah, he goes to one, but not at first. Guess again."

"Hmm," Ginny mused to herself. "A doll store?"

Bill laughed. "Harry doesn't play with dollies, that's a girl toy."

Ginny pouted, but didn't complain. "I don't know ... Qui-dish?"

Bill smiled, Ginny was usually a rapt listener of his Quidditch stories. "Yep. Harry's first stop was always the broom store. Quality Quidditch Supplies, where he would get to chose a new broom, some Quidditch robes, and even a full set of Quidditch balls. It was his favorite shop."

"Mine too," Ginny opined. Bill found this funny as Ginny hadn't yet experienced the shop. It was not often his mother would go to Diagon alley, only once or twice a year. Usually, they had their garden and the local shops in Ottery St. Catchpole for supplies. And when they all were at Diagon alley, his mom wouldn't stand for much lallygagging around any of the window displays. Ginny was only starting to get old enough to understand about these things the previous summer, which Bill assumed was the last time his mom had been in the Alley. The boys didn't get to go into the shop the previous summer, and Ginny wouldn't have seen anything at all; Mrs. Weasley kept her close and didn't go near the store. Bill knew Ginny's recent exposure to Quidditch was stories he and Charlie told of the school games.

"Harry loves to walk around the shop. I bet he is even trained by a professional Quidditch star."

"Wow!" Ginny gasped.

Bill nodded. "Yep, and after that, they go buy some chocolates. The best kind, of course. Harry gets all kinds of sweets: sugar quills, chocolate frogs, pumpkin pasties, and all the usuals. The candy store is Harry's second most favorite place in Diagon Alley."

"Me too," Ginny quickly agreed.

Bill smiled and tussled her hair. "I think we all like the candy store."

"Where he go next?"

"Well ... next ... next he goes to a place I am sure the twins love most of all. Harry goes to Zonko's to buy some stuff to play with. And after browsing Zonkos and getting things like wet-start fireworks and some noise makers, Harry likes to get some ice cream from Fetescue's."

Ginny rubbed her belly. "Yumm. What eye-scream does he like?"

Bill rubbed his chin in thought. "Well, I'd say it is the triple chocolate fudge ice cream covered in fire cherries and whipped sweet cream. With extra caramel sauce, of course." Ginny's eyes grew wide and drool started to pool in her open mouth. Bill laughed. "Picturing that sundae, aren't you?"

Ginny nodded. "That sounds so cool!"

"It sure does. And after the ice cream, Harry spends time looking at all of the pets and animals. He really enjoys seeing them. And finally, he goes home for his party."

"What about the tea?" Ginny interrupted.

"Ah yes, sorry, I forgot. Just before he goes home, he stops by for tea with the goblins. They all sit around and talk about gold and treasures and adventures. Harry tells them tales of his adventures since the birthday before, and all the curses he had to break and all the treasures he found. Like the time he found a sunken pirate ship, a wizardly pirate ship. And he had to fight off grindylows and sharks. And then he met some cute mermaids. And finally he had to defeat the nasty curse that was protecting the treasure chest. And when he dragged it from the water and opened it up, do you know what was inside?"

Ginny shook her head. "Nope."

"It was full of pretty gems and golden coins, a necklace of large pearls, and rings of all kinds."

"Wow!"

"And then, when he was done telling his stories, Harry went home for his birthday party. It was big as everyone was invited. The Backwards Wizard, Dumbledore, the Minister, the Queen, everybody."

"And he got lots'sa prezzents."

"Yes, he did. He got lots and lots of presents." Bill agreed and nodded his head. "Do you want to know what some of them were?"

Ginny nodded. "Yes, please."

"Well ... he got a remembrall, it lets you know when you forgotten something, a brass telescope, and a chess set. The Queen gave him his own seaside cottage and knighted him. Dumbledore showed him a new magic spell. Professor McGonagall showed him how to be an animagus."

Ginny interrupted her brother, for she did not recognize a word. "What's an any-maggots?"

"An animagus is a wizard that can transfigure himself into an animal but still keep his mind. And the Backwards Wizard always got birthday parties backwards. He thought guests were suppose to help themselves to something nice, which is why he never invited anyone over for his birthday, and took one of Harry's golden eggs."

"Boo!" Ginny angrily said. "Bad wizard, bad."

Bill chuckled. "Yes, he can be. But he is backwards." Ginny just pouted, upset by the Backwards Wizard's theft. "So, Harry got lots and lots of presents today. And cake, he was made a big cake and everyone who came was given a slice."

"Even the Back-wurdz Wiz-zurd?"

"Yes, even him. Harry is a nice guy, after all. It was a magnificent cake. And everyone played games and Quidditch. And when it grew dark, Dumbledore made fireworks up in the sky."

"Cool!"

"Yeah." Bill gave Ginny a rueful grin. "Now, young lady, it is your bedtime. The sooner you get to bed, the sooner you can wake up and be one day closer to your own birthday."

Ginny nodded. "Is it going to be fun?"

"It'll be lots of fun," Bill promised. "Sweet dreams Ginny-cakes." Bill hten leaned down to tuck her back in snuggly and kissed her on her forehead.

"Night, Bill," Ginny called to her oldest brother before closing her eyes and sighing softly.


	6. Chapter 6

Ginny was glowing in happiness and bouncing with poorly suppressed excitement, for it was August 11th and her birthday. What with her brothers' birthdays all year, she was looking forward to her own. Birthdays were special occasions, and she was filled with anticipation for her own special day.

Eventually, her day would end and it would be time for bed and bedtime stories. By the time it was her bedtime, she had a long and eventful day, but she was also still stimulated by all the excitement and sweets. Tired yet also reluctant to let the special day end, Ginny was sent to bed.

That night, Arthur tucked in his little princess. "How does it feel to be three now?" Arthur asked as he held up three fingers.

"Like I'm a big girl, now," Ginny happily replied. "Do I have to go to bed?"

"Yes, you're a big girl now, pumpkin. And big girls go to bed when they get tired. How about I tell you a story, to help you fall asleep? What story would you like to hear tonight?"

Ginny's attention span had moved on from Harry Potter and her brothers had grown tired of the subject and made up stories about other things. Also, her father tended to tell her the more classical fairy tales. "Babbity Rabbity and the Cackling stump."

And so, Arthur told her the age old story before kissing her goodnight and leaving. The next to drop by her room was Charlie.

"Hey, squirt! I had forgotten to tell you something before."

"What?" Ginny was still awake and now curious.

Charlie sat himself down on the edge of her bed. "Well, when we were at Diagon Alley, shopping, some friends of mine told me about something that was in Witch Weekly."

"Witch Weekly? What's that?"

"It is a magazine ... like a newspaper, but more colorful. Know who's in this issue of Witch Weekly?"

Ginny shook her head. "No."

Charlie gave her a wink and a grin. "Harry Potter."

Ginny sat up straight, her attention once more returning to Harry Potter. "Harwy Potter? Can I see?"

Charlie laughed at how excited Ginny got. "How about I read it to you?" Charlie asked .

Ginny nodded. "Sure."

Charlie riffled open the magazine as he cleared his throat. "OK ... here we are. The-Boy-Who-Lived Found in Surrey."

"Who's the boy who lived?" Ginny hadn't yet heard Harry called by his nickname.

"Ah, that's just what they like to call Harry."

"Why?"

"Well, it is because he lived even though He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named tried to kill him."

"Oh, OK!"

"Okay, then. So where was I? Oh yeah. We here at Witch Weekly have gotten numerous reports, since that fateful Halloween night, of sightings of Harry Potter. Some claims were dubious, and we only printed the more reputable claims. Yet, these sightings seemed to be coming from all over England, so we surmise Harry's guardians must keep on the move. However, this time we have an extra special treat for our readers. This time, we have a photograph of The-Boy-Who-Lived to go along with the story. Gladys Lester, Hogwarts class of 1968, was out doing some shopping in a muggle district when she came across The-Boy-Who-Lived. Fortunately, for us, she had a camera handy in her purse.

"Gladys stated that she was just entering a green grocers when she noticed Harry standing in the corner, near the entrance – as if waiting for someone. She hadn't, at first, recognized him. The photograph clearly shows why. We can only presume that this is some part of a clever disguise by Harry's guardians, and their shopping among muggles clearly is part of their ruse. She said she was arrested by his captivating green eyes, clearly captured on film, and on second glance realize who he had to be. Young Harry does look remarkably like his father. To confirm it, Gladys looked for his scar, which she found peeking out from behind his bangs. Casting a notice-me-not spell upon herself, Gladys took her camera from within her handbag, a lovely Graflex Speed Graphic, and took a picture as a memento of the occasion. Only a bit of waiting and patience paid off, as Harry reached up to scratch his head, and thus revealing his scar, Gladys snapped her shot. And now, she is generous enough to share her picture and sighting story with the rest of our loyal readers. This would be the first confirmed sighting of Harry Potter, proven by Gladys's photo. We can now unequivocally state that one place The-Boy-Who-Lived was at is a grocers in Little Whinging. Enjoy Gladys Lester's photograph, printed below."

Charlie then held out the magazine so Ginny could see the picture. The photo showed a small child wearing baggy clothes. His sharp eyes seemed to be soaking in the sights as the boy stood quietly and without fidgeting in a corner. Regularly, his hand would raise up to scratch his head, clearly revealing a lightning shaped scar on his forehead. "Is that Harry?" Ginny asked in amazement.

"Sure is, squirt. Here, why don't you keep this." Charlie handed his little sister the magazine he bought for her. "Happy Birthday, Ginny-cakes."

Ginny threw her arms around her brother in a hug. "Thanks!" Taking the magazine, she slipped it under her pillow.

"Anytime." Charlie smiled at Ginny as he got up to leave. "Night, night." He turned the lights off.

"Good night, Charlie." Ginny blew her brother a kiss as he left her room, looking over his shoulders. Ginny settled back into bed. But it was not long before she got another visitor.

"Hey there, beautiful. Did you have fun today?" Bill came in and sat down in the rocking chair.

Ginny nodded. "Yeppers."

"Want a story before bed?"

"I already got one, but can I have another?"

Bill nodded. "Yeah. It's your birthday so you get to have more than one. What you want to hear a story about? Maybe some princess locked up by an evil wizard and the knight who rescues her?"

"Harwy Potter."

"Oh, him again? Sure thing. What would you like to hear about him?"

Ginny screwed up her face in thought. "I dunno. How about ..."

Bill decided to help his sister out when she trailed off into a pause. "How about a story with Harry finding the lost treasure of Merlin?"

"Yeah!" Ginny nodded happily.

"Well, it all started when Harry found an old diary in a bookshop. It belonged to a famous curse-breaker and treasure seeker, Liverpool Smith – no wait, that's a stupid name. His name was ... Ambrosius Brutus Crockford. And Ambry, as his friends would call him, kept a diary of his treasure hunting clues. Ambry had found lots of lost treasures: The Book of Kelp, The Sword of Stone, Pandora's Jewelry Box, Joan of Arc's Chest, and even Queen Victoria's Secret Garden. But there was three treasures he always wanted to find: The gifts of Death to the Three Brothers, The Holy Grail, and Merlin's Wand. In his diary, he wrote all the clues he found for all of the different treasures he did find or was still looking for. And he had almost puzzled out Merlin's Last Riddle. Sadly, he had died before he could figure it out."

"How?" Ginny asked, all ears for her brother's story.

"He was searching through the library of an old wizarding family, looking for more hints and clues, when a dark enchanted book jumped from the shelf and bit him on the head. He died three days later from Old Book disease."

"Ol' book dih-zeez?"

"Yep," Bill replied as he nodded, "You get it when an evil and old book bites you on the head. So his family sold off all of his treasures and stuff, now that he was dead, which is how the diary ended up in a store for used books. That is where Harry found it. Leafing through it, Harry thought it was rather interesting. It was full of riddles and mysteries. Also, Harry enjoyed a good treasure hunt: old tombs, sunken ships, mazes of horror – you name it and Harry has probably already done it. So, Harry bought the diary to bring home to read. Later that night, after his bubble bath and glass of warm milk with cookies, Harry curled into bed with his new used book." Bill had to grin when he saw Ginny trying to puzzle out that last bit. "And that's how Harry found some clues to Merlin's wand."

"Oh? Like what?"

Bill stroked his chin. "Well, if I knew that then I could have found Merlin's wand." Ginny giggled at her brother's joke. "Now, Harry didn't read the diary all in one night. But after a couple days, he was armed with clues and ideas."

"Armed? He put the clues and ideas on his arms?" Ginny was confused by her brother's story.

Bill smiled gently. "I just meant that he had found a bunch of stuff he could use as needed. But a riddle is only good if you can answer it. Fortunately, Harry loved solving a good riddle."

"What about bad riddles?" Ginny asked.

Bill smirked. "Harry knows what to do with those. So, Harry decided the first place he would go to get more information would be Stonehenge, where he could interview some fairies."

"Stone hinge?" Ginny furrowed her brows.

"It is a ring of stones, a very old ring of stones."

"Oh, OK." Ginny smiled.

"So, off Harry went to visit Stonehenge. It was there that he solved the first puzzle. Doing something secret, he made the altar stone, in the center, slide aside revealing a ladder. Down the ladder Harry went and into a tunnel. Not far into the tunnel was a door, and on that door was a large brass troll head door-knocker. A large ring pierced the troll statue head and hung down below."

"What is a door nuckle?" Ginny asked, never seeing one before.

"It is a decoration that is attached to the door. A hammer or banger of some sort, usually on a hoop or ring, hangs from it. A person just uses that to pound on the door instead of knocking with their hands. It's louder for big mansions where people might not hear and hitting the door too hard to be loud would hurt your hands. OK?"

Ginny nodded.

"Harry tried the door, but it was locked. Harry was tried to unlock the door, but all of the magic spells he used had no effect. That's when he figured out why it wouldn't unlock. It wasn't a door at all, but a wall that looks like a door. Of course walls don't unlock or swing open. So, he decided the door-knocker must be important for something after all, and knocked with it. Was he surprised when the troll head's eyes opened and it yawned. 'What do ya want?' the door-knocker questioned him.

"'I'm looking for a door, have you see none around here?' Harry didn't think it would be wise to mention he was planning on taking whatever it is the door-knocker was suppose to be guarding.

"'Haven't had a visitor here in centuries ... in fact, haven't had a visitor here at all. What do you need with a door anyways?' The troll-headed door-knocker was suspicious of Harry. After all, he was a guardian, he is suppose to be suspicious. However, he wasn't very intelligent either.

"Harry only paused a moment before replying, 'Well, I'm here on this side, and there must be a door or I couldn't get to that side. And what tunnel only goes fifteen feet and end with nothing but a dead end? So there must be a door, and if I find the door then I can deliver this old book like I am suppose to.' Harry held up the old diary he had found in the book shop, Ambry's journal.

"The door knocker grumbled a bit as it though over those words. 'Very well,' it grunted, 'the door is over there.' The troll head nodded of to one side and lo and behold a section of wall swung inward like a door.

"'Thank you,' Harry told the door-knocker, for it always pays to be polite, 'I'll just be on my way now. Sorry for having disturbed you. I hope you have no problem getting back to sleep.'

"'S'alright, don't get very many visitors, so it's nice to be useful once in a while.' The knocker then yawned and went back to sleep. Harry nodded back and turned to go into the door. And so, Harry explored the tunnel, solving one riddle after another, until he finally made it to the last chamber. And there, at the door to the last chamber he saw, slumbering, a gryphon, a large snake, an eagle, a badger, and a small dragon."

"I wanna pet dragon!" Ginny exclaimed.

"I thought you wanted a pet nundu?"

Ginny giggled. "That too."

Bill sighed, "Anything you don't want for a pet?"

Ginny put her finger to her lips and turned her nose up as she thought. "Uh ... garden gnomes; they bite."

Bill laughed. "Yeah, I have to agree with you there. So Harry was confronted with some sleeping guardians. 'If I can get by them without waking any up, I should be safe,' he thought to himself. But, when he took a careful and silent step into the antechamber that led to the chamber -"

"Auntie chamber? Is their an uncle room?"

Bill chuckled. "Not exactly. Not an aunt like great aunt Muriel." Ginny made a face, remembering how the old lady would fuss over her whenever they visited, "Ante is Latin, meaning before or comes before. An antechamber is a smaller room that comes before the main chamber. A place where guards can stand and visitors wait until the master is ready to receive them. So, when Harry stepped into the room, the guardians all started to stir and awaken.

"'Who goes there?' the gryphon asked in a commanding voice.

"'Harry Potter, sir.'

"'What bizzzz-inessss have you in thissss room?' the snake asked Harry.

"'Isn't it obvious,' the eagle spoke to his companions, 'the boy is here for the treasure.'

"The dragon grumbled, 'Treasure hunters are getting smaller and smaller. This one will still make for a good snack.'

"'A treasure hunter? We haven't had one of those in ... well, ever. We will have to do this properly, then, don't we?' the badger mentioned.

"The eagle nodded its head. 'Jolly right, ol' chap. We must do this right. Boy, you must first answer a question, a riddle, correctly if it is the treasure of Merlin you seek.'

"Harry nodded. 'I understand, sir.'

"'Good, good. And so polite too. It will be a shame to have to kill you. Now then, down to business.' The eagle puffed itself up with an air of importance and nobility. 'Now, can you tell me: what is the source of all magic in the world?'

"What do you think, Ginny? Do you know the answer to that?"

Ginny frowned, cutely, in thought. "Nope."

"Well ... neither do I. But Harry did. And then he had to play the gryphon in a game of chess, arm wrestle the snake, race the badger, and make the dragon laugh."

"Snakes have no arms!" Ginny complained.

"Which is why that was a hard challenge for Harry, but he won it. The only one harder was the dragon. Dragons don't laugh very much, and don't really get jokes. So Harry sent a tickling charm at it, causing it to roar out in laughter and roll all about the floor. It nearly crushed the other animals. Since Harry beat all the challenges, the final door opened. So, in the confusion of the dragon rolling all about laughing its head off, and the other guardians running about in chaos from the dragon, Harry slipped into the final chamber. This is why they say to never tickle a dragon. Anyways, this last chamber was a vault that stored all of Merlin's treasures. There was also a magical ladder that let him get out quickly without having to go back through the tunnel. This is how Harry found Merlin's wand. The end."

Ginny frowned. "That was a quick story."

Bill laughed. "Maybe I'll tell you more about it next time, but it is getting late and we both have to get to bed. Good night, Ginny." Bill leaned over to give her a kiss on the cheek.

"G'night, Bill."

And Ginny fell asleep with dreams of Harry Potter in her head.

* * *

Revised Oct 25th, 2009 to improve the ending with a more fleshed out story from Bill.


End file.
